Regina‘s ’Firsts’

Welcome to “Regina’s Firsts”, a timeline written and compiled by Heritage Regina volunteer Tom Fuzesy. Tom is an avid sports fan, researcher, and local historian.

We will be continuously adding to and updating this timeline, and are looking forward to including many of Regina’s important cultural, architectural, and other ‘firsts’ in the process.

  • March 1, 1883

    First Newspaper Begins Publishing

    On March 1, 1883, Regina’s first newspaper, The Regina Leader, published its first issue under the direction of Nicholas Flood Davin. It started as a weekly publication costing five cents per issue, with an annual subscription costing two dollars. In November 1905, The Regina Leader became a daily Monday-Saturday newspaper.

    Vol 1. No 1. of the Morning Leader. Retrieved from newspapers.com.

  • October 2-3, 1884

    First Exhibition

    The Assiniboia Agricultural Society puts on a two-day agricultural exhibition in Regina for the first time. The events include judging competitions, mainly for agricultural categories like livestock. Admission is 25 cents, and prize money ranges from $1 to $10. Activities are held indoors in the Scarth Building and outdoors in Victoria Square [Park]. Horse, pony, ox, and foot races are held on the race course.

    October 2-3, 1884

  • July 1, 1886

    First trans-Canada passenger rail service through Regina

    In 1882, construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) reaches Regina. On Dominion Day, 1886, a train westbound from Montreal to Port Moody stopped in Regina. This is the first passenger train to stop in Regina and is, in fact, the first passenger train to cross Canada on the recently completed. Passenger service through the Queen City ran for almost 108 years; the last service, operated by Via Rail, left the station on January 16, 1990. Today, the closest station to Regina with passenger service is Melville, nearly 150 kilometers away.

    The first cross-country train service pulling into Port Moody, BC, near Vancouver, on July 4, 1886. Vancouver Archives AM54-S4-Can P4

  • 1906

    Regina becomes the capital of Saskatchewan

    Alongside Alberta, Saskatchewan becomes a Canadian province on September 1, 1905. A few days later on September 4, the Queen City celebrates the occasion with speeches, bands, parades and pageantry in Victoria Park and at the Exhibition Grounds. The city was chosen to be the capital of the Northwest Territories in 1883, and in 1906 is declared capital of the newly-formed province.

    1906

  • October 7, 1907

    First Movie Theatre

    The first movie theatre in Regina is the Edison Family Theatre, located at 1641 Broad St. At South Railway. Admission is 15 cents, and the program changes three times a week. Some shows shown that first week are The Dog and the Tramp, What Became of the Typewriter, and All for a Necklace.  

  • October 1, 1910

    First Game of the Regina Rugby Club

    The newly formed Regina Rugby Club plays their first game, losing 16-6 in Moose Jaw. Their first home game is a week later on October 8, where they lose to Moose Jaw again, 7-6, at Dominion Park in Regina. The club later becomes known as the Regina Roughriders – ultimately becoming the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

    October 1, 1910

  • July 28, 1911

    First Public Transit Begins Operation

    The Regina Municipal Railway opens with the operation of four streetcars on two routes, running on 10 km of track. The initial fare is five cents per ride. Twenty years later on November 2, 1931, motor busses were introduced, followed by electricity-powered trolley busses on September 8, 1947 that hooked to overhead wires. The last streetcar ran on September 9, 1950, followed by the last trolley bus on March 7, 1966.

  • January 19, 1913

    First performance by the Regina Symphony Orchestra

    The newly formed Regina Symphony Orchestra starts performing Sunday evening concerts at the Regina Theatre, before moving to the Rex Theatre about a month later. On their opening night they perform four pieces, including “Frat”, “Belle of New York” and “Dainty Dames”.

    January 19, 1913

  • October 1916

    New newspaper - Regina Daily Post

    The Regina Daily Post begins publishing as an evening paper, a compliment to the Morning Leader’s morning edition. The Daily Post captures much of the day’s developments ahead of the Morning Leader edition the following day, which keeps citizens well-informed in a pre-television era. The Morning Leader and the Daily Post came under the same ownership in 1920, though the two newspapers continued to be published under their respective names.

  • December 21, 1917

    First Regina Pats Game

    The Regina Patricias (shortened to ‘Pats’) join the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association, a junior league that consists of three Regina teams (the Pats, Monarchs and Victorias) and a team from Tyvan, SK. On Friday, December 21, the Pats face the Victorias and defeat them 5-2. The game is played at the Regina Arena, on Robinson Street, with a ticket price of 25 cents (or about $5 today).

    December 21, 1917

  • December 10, 1919

    First Event at Exhibition Stadium

    The official opening of the Regina Exhibition Stadium features a fancy skating exhibition and a performance from the Great War Veterans Band. The first hockey game played there is on December 19, when the Moose Jaw Maple Leafs defeat the Regina Victorias 5-4 in the opening game of the Saskatchewan Hockey League’s season. Upon its opening, the stadium is the largest such venue in Canada west of Winnipeg. The stadium was demolished in 2017 to make way for the International Trade Centre.

  • July 28, 1922

    First Commercial Radio Stations Comes on the Air

    CKCK radio, part of the Regina Leader newspaper group, officially goes on the air in the evening of July 28, 1922. After a brief introduction, “Rule Britannia” is played, followed by a violinist providing a musical interlude and a few words from Premier Charles Dunning.

    July 28, 1922

  • March 25, 1925

    First Memorial Cup win for the Pats

    Just eight short years after their formation in 1917, the Regina Pats junior team, led by head coach Al Ritchie, travels east to Toronto to face the Toronto Aura Lee team in a best-of-three Memorial Cup series. On March 23, the Pats take the first game, winning in overtime 2-1 at the Arena Gardens. Two days later, the team wins the second game 5-2 to clinch the Memorial Cup for the first time.

  • November 29, 1926

    First Shows by the Regina Little Theatre

    The Regina Little Theatre, formed earlier that year, presents their first two plays in the gymnasium of the Regina College (now the College Avenue Campus). The plays are “The Singing Soul” and “The Old Lady Shows Her Medals”.

    November 29, 1926

  • November 11, 1929

    First Radio Broadcast of a Roughriders Game

    On a cold, blustery day in Regina, a playoff rugby game between the Calgary Tigers and Regina Roughriders is broadcast over CKCK Radio for the first time. A small makeshift radio room is provided on the field for the CKCK announcers. Calgary announcers also broadcast the game back to fans at home through CFAC radio. The Riders win this Western final 15-8, earning a spot in that year’s Grey Cup.

  • December 21, 1929

    First Safeway Opens

    Safeway burst on the scene in Regina, opening three stores at the same time. They were located at 13th Ave near Elphinstone, Victoria & Winnipeg, and Albert & 15th. It fundamentally changed how Reginans shopped for groceries by providing everything under one roof. Until now, grocery shopping typically involved visiting multiple stores with specialty items such as the bakery, the butcher shop, and green grocers. 

    Photo credit: Safeway Canada

    Photo credit: newspapers.com

    December 21, 1929

  • April 7, 1930

    First Edition of the New "Leader-Post"

    The Morning Leader and the Regina Daily Post, having been under the same ownership since 1920, publish the first edition under a new name, “Regina Leader-Post”. The Leader Post, keeping the spirit of the two formerly separate newspapers, maintains morning and late afternoon editions.

  • September 22, 1932

    Riders’ First Game Against an American Team

    The Saskatchewan Roughriders faced a team from Minot in an exhibition game at Regina’s Exhibition Grounds. Playing with half Canadian and half American rules, the Riders were victorious, winning 10-7. A return exhibition game in Minot on October 1, 1933 had the host team beating the Riders 20-13. 

    September 22, 1932

  • April 2, 1939

    First Cross-Country Passenger Flight Lands

    Just after midnight, a ten passenger Trans-Canada Airlines Lockheed Electra 10A lands in Regina after a two-hour flight from Lethbridge. The plane is on its first-ever trans-Canada voyage. After a brief layover, it takes off again to continue its inaugural flight, heading to Winnipeg and other cities further east.

    Read more about this flight and others in our article “Regina’s First Cross-Country Air Service“, also by Tom Fuzesy.

    A newspaper clipping with the heading

    A Leader-Post ad from February 1940 advertising TCA’s new service to the Queen City. Retrieved from newspapers.com.

  • September 3, 1946

    First Traffic Lights in the City

    The first traffic lights, installed at five intersections in the downtown core, turn on for the first time. The two rules accompanying the new lights are: no left turns at any intersection with lights, and no right turns on a red light.

    September 3, 1946

  • October 6, 1947

    Saskatchewan Roughriders fly to an away game for the first time

    Two TransCanada Airlines aircraft fly the Roughriders to a game in Calgary, and then back the same day. It’s the first time a football team from the west has flown to an away game. Calgary beat the Riders 9-8 in a close match. 

  • August 5, 1949

    First Drive-In Theatre

    Skylark Drive-in theatre opens its doors at 1st Ave. North and Angus St. The first movie shown was “One Touch of Venus”. This theatre didn’t last long, since it closed only a year later in September 1950. It was around that time that a second drive-in theatre opened just south of the city, called the Queen City Drive-in. 

      

    August 5, 1949

  • May 1, 1961

    First Scheduled International Flight

    Service between Regina and Minot started on North Central Airlines using a DC-3 aircraft. Flight 741 arrived at 2:30 PM to much fanfare before returning to Minot. The service was shortlived, as it was discontinued on November 30, 1962. 

  • October 17, 1965

    First Sunday Home Game for the Riders

    Until now, the Lord’s Day Act prohibited sports that charged admission from being played on Sundays. Through provincial legislative amendments, and then by a referendum from Regina voters, this law & bylaw was changed to allow commercial sports to be played on Sunday afternoons between 1:30 PM and 6:00 PM. The Riders don’t play very well in their first Sunday home game, losing 17-0 to Winnipeg. The Regina Pats’ first Sunday game is an afternoon affair against the Saskatoon Blades on February 27, 1966.

    October 17, 1965

  • August 19, 1970

    First Shows at the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts

    Construction of the auditorium started in the summer of 1965. Originally planned for a 1967 opening, delays extended the completion date by another three years. The first show was a performance from Bill Cosby on Aug 19, 1970, while the first “official opening show was Jan Peerce and the Regina Symphony Orchestra on Aug 24, 1970. “Fiddler on the Roof” closed out the opening month on August 30 and 31. 

Bibliography

Information in this timeline has been compiled from various sources: